Our Story
2 Visionaries. 1 Revolutionary Concept.
Meet The Cofounders
Dr. Melissa Bird and James Kelly are the co-founders of The Mermaid’s Garden, LLC. Melissa has spent the last 25 years creating community based systems that improve the overall health of communities. James has spent the last three years as a student and research assistant at Oregon State University studying biology, marine biology, aquaculture, and ecology.
Melissa and James created The Mermaid’s Garden to provide people a place based on the rule of radical welcome, where everyone is invited to sit at their table.
Dr. Melissa Bird
Melissa has spent a majority of her professional life creating events, workshops, and retreats that bring people together to create community and reconnect to themselves. She works to help people tear down the walls that are keeping them stuck through spiritual regeneration and facilitation of healing from within. Her unique life purpose is to use her talents as a healer to help others tap into their intuition so that they can harness their magic.
James Kelly
James Kelly is a disabled Army veteran with experience in marine biology, estuary sciences, and biology. He is a certified research scuba diver who has served on dozens of research studies in marine and freshwater aquatic environments. When James returned from Iraq he entered the world of entrepreneurship with a general contracting business, which he ran for several years before returning to school to pursue a bachelor's degree in Marine Biology.
Words From Our Supporter:
“When I first heard about the concept of Mermaid's Garden - I was instantly elated. In the last years, I searched regularly for sanctuaries either as a place to grieve, or provide some respite from the fast lane of corporate life, or simply to take some time in nature, away from the bustle of hotels and resorts. The options were limited --- either yoga or meditation strictly structured retreats that imposed rules that are unworkable at times, or the endless prospect of finding a suitable airbnb (without the benefits of a working "resort" or ability to be social if you desire). Mermaids Garden is precisely the place I would book on a regular basis.”
~ Sara, Corporate CEO, Dubai, United Arab Emirates